Air Carrier Access Amendments Act of 2026

Key Points

• The bill creates a private right of action that lets passengers with disabilities sue airlines directly in federal court for discrimination, without having to go through the government complaint process first. Passengers would have two years from the date of the violation to file suit.
• Airlines would face mandatory civil penalties for specific violations, including damaging wheelchairs or scooters, physically harming a passenger with a disability, failing to provide proper boarding or deplaning assistance, wrongly denying boarding or service animal access, and gross negligence.
• If a passenger wins their lawsuit, the court must award reasonable attorney's fees, expert fees, and court costs. This makes it financially easier for individuals to find a lawyer willing to take their case, since airlines would have to cover these costs if they lose.
• The Attorney General can also bring lawsuits on behalf of aggrieved passengers, and the Department of Transportation must refer cases to the Attorney General when there is evidence of a pattern or practice of discrimination by an airline.
• The bill does not override any existing federal or state laws that already give people with disabilities stronger protections than those provided here. It fills a gap in civil rights law, since the original Air Carrier Access Act of 1986 never included the ability for individuals to sue on their own.